1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to food processing apparatus and, more particularly, to food processing apparatus operating in the manner of a meat grinder for cutting, mixing and emulsifying comestibles.
Such apparatus are primarily utilized for the diminution of organic substances. They may be used, for instance, to cut or chop meats, as well as fruits, vegetables and cheeses. In particular, such apparatus are widely used by butchers and sausage factories for cutting up or finely chopping raw and boiled meats as well as fats and rinds to produce therefrom, in a single operation, varieties of sausages and meat products, or, by a double chopping process, ground meat (hamburger) of uniform grain distribution.
2. The State of the Art
Machines and apparatus of this kind are generally structured as meat grinders in which the material to be chopped is transported by a feed screw or auger in a meat grinder housing toward a rotary knife arrangement. While the meat to be chopped is subjected simultaneously to uniform feed pressure, pressing through a perforated disk and cutting, very little, if any, mixing or distributive action is taking place.
Meat grinders equipped with two consecutively arranged feed screws providing a double chopping action, are well known. It has, however, been found that these machines cannot provide qualitatively acceptable chopping, mixing and emulsification of the ground material.